Mainstay
by Bishounenchaser
Summary: And what had started as a simple act of comfort, would become almost a nightly ritual...


**Mainstay**

Shadows danced across the walls. The only light in the room came from the gently crackling fire dancing in the stone fireplace. It was mostly quiet, save for an occasional pop from the hearth and the slicing of a turning page.

Damon Salvatore sat on the end of the couch that rested before the fire. The flames giving color to his usually porcelain skin. It could be very relaxing when it wasn't being used to torture him. A book in hand, his eyes easily glided across the words despite the dim light. It came with the perks of being a predator of the night.

Although he prided himself on keeping up with the times through the decades, one thing he couldn't get particularly into was television. When given the choice, he chose to read rather than veg out in front of the TV. Not that it matter since the same shows just repeated themselves every day here, if he relied on that he would've been driven crazy.

Yes, it was safe to say Damon's favorite forms of entertainment consisted booze, women, killing someone who pissed him off, and a good book.

There wasn't many books Damon hadn't read, but they never seemed to get old. The library in the boarding house was vast, he was always adding pieces. Things he picked up along his journeys that he felt would some day be useful.

Since coming back to Mystic Falls though, he hadn't had much time to indulge his little known hobby. Having to deal with a different type of crisis every other week tended to suck up a lot of your free time. So while being stuck in this never ending hell on earth was not his ideal spot, at least he had something to distract him.

The soft creak of a door caught his attention. Subtly he flickered his eyes briefly towards the entry to see an awkward looking Bonnie Bennet standing tentatively in the doorway. That bear, Mr. Cuddles, tucked against her chest with one arm.

She almost reminded him of a child, he suppose compared to his age she was. But as he raked his eyes over her form, a loose T-shirt that still managed to hug her curves and shorts that allowed him a unobstructed view of her shapely legs, he was reminded that Bonnie was definitely NOT a child.

He returned his eyes to his book before his thoughts took a forbidden turn, he was still very aware of her presence though.

"Can't sleep little bird?"

He didn't have to look at her to see the crease in her brow and the downturn of her lips. Damon knew most of Bonnie's facial expressions by now. It was amazing how many ways she could look disapproving.

She ignored the nickname, probably hoping if she didn't acknowledge it he'd stop. Poor girl. She knew him better than that.

"Something like that…why are you up?"

"I don't need much, if any sleep. I figure if Im going to be stuck, I might as well catch up on my reading."

"I didn't know you read."

"I'm a man of frequent surprises," he responded lightly.

Bonnie hummed in what he couldn't tell was agreement or disagreement. Knowing Bonnie it was most likely the latter. The vampire mentally pouted, he never got the credit he deserved.

He heard the padding of her feet against the hardwood before seeing her settle on the opposite side of the couch in the corner of his eye. They sat in silence, Bonnie stared into the fire but her focus seemed elsewhere. Nonetheless it was comfortable, familiar.

As much as they bickered they were probably most at ease with each other because they could just be themselves. Not what everyone expected them to be.

Damon continued to discreetly observed Bonnie from the corner of his eyes. Still, he could sense something was off about the witch.

He'd never admit it, but he went from absolutely HATING Bonnie Bennett to having her become one of the most influential people on his life. While Elena made him happy, Bonnie admittedly made him a better person. With Elena he just wanted to act like a better person to impress her, all the while still doing some not so nice things. With Bonnie he genuinely wanted to become a better person to show her he could. She didn't make excuses for him like so many had, she held him responsible for his actions.

It was an odd feeling for someone that wasn't related to him, or that he hadn't nailed. He respected her, and while sometimes he did want to wring her pretty little neck, there were very few people he'd prefer to be stuck with. At least Bonnie had sense, and some kind usefulness compared to the rest of their little Scooby Doo gang.

"Sometimes…it's hard for me to hope. Thoughts creep in like, what if my luck has finally ran out? Not that I was very lucky to begin with," She gave a bitter laugh & snapped him from his own inner musings.

It wasn't often Damon caught Bonnie looking so vulnerable. He knew it was really bothering her because it was manifesting itself in her body language.

She had her knees draw to her chest, arms wrapped around Mr. Cuddles tightly as though sheltering herself from invisible demons. It bothered him. Bonnie was always a pillar, an unshakeable beacon for hope. Usually he was a pessimistic one. He didn't realize how much he secretly valued that in Bonnie. While it was annoying at times, it gave him just a little bit of hope too.

Damon slowly put the book down in his lap and shifted towards Bonnie giving her his full attention. He glacier eyes probed her for a moment, for once gathering his thoughts before deciding to speak. He supposed their roles could be switched, just this once.

"I think considering the things we've dealt with, we've been pretty damn lucky. Or at least we've been pretty damn lucky to have you... Besides we make the perfect team. If anyone in that rag tag group can figure things out it's us. You're an annoyingly judgey little thing, but you're capable Bonnie," Damon said all of this nonchalantly, but the intensity in his expression signaled how serious he was.

Bonnie stared at the vampire surprised for a moment, before a small smile curled up the tips of her lips behind her bear. It didn't show teeth, but it was enough to ease the tension in his shoulders he wasn't aware of till then.

Slowly the witch dropped her legs back to the floor, and eased into a more relaxed position. She turned her attention from Damon back to the fire.

"You're right. You're an asshole but I suppose you useful sometimes," she teased.

"-All the time you mean," Damon corrected causing Bonnie to roll her eyes.

They fell back into comfortable silence for a while. Damon had picked up his book from his lap and resumed reading when he figured the conversation was done.

Bonnie seemed to get a bit restless however, because not much time had passed before she shyly inquired, "How's the book?"

Damon smirked when an idea formed. Figuring it wouldn't hurt, the Salvatore reached over and grasped Bonnie's forearm, tugging her in his direction. Bonnie put up cautious resistance, eying him suspiciously but complied with his silent command slowly scooting closer.

She raised a brow in question when he released her and placed a pillow in his lap. The other eyebrow followed when he lightly patted the pillow and she realized his intentions.

"Relax. You can't sleep right? You can get in on what I'm reading and my incredibly sensually smooth voice will ease you to sleep," Damon explained adding a bit of dramatic flair towards the end. He raised two fingers in the air with an innocent expression. "I won't try anything. Scout's honor."

He almost felt insulted watching Bonnie go through a internal debate on whether to take him up on his offer or not. Of course he didn't have the best track record, but he had been doing well lately. That had to count for something right?

Just when he was going to retract his offer, Bonnie surprised him by stretching out the length of the couch and resting her head on the pillow. She released a sigh and meet his eyes.

Something in his stomach flipped at that but he quickly buried it away before he could think about it too deeply.

"You better behave Damon," she warned.

Damon figured it was better not to reply to that because anything he retorted it would come out suggestive. He gave Bonnie a quick summary of the book and then began to read.

"Chapter 6-"

And what had started as a simple act of comfort, would become almost a nightly ritual.

* * *

><p>So this is my first Vampire Diaries fic, as well as my first Bamon! Been creeping and reading long enough, figured I'd give it a shot. Hopefully I kept them in character.<p>

I drew some inspiration of Ian Somerhaulder's recent interview, if you haven't seen it check it out! He definitely supports Bamon.


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